Union Jack Love

Seems like everyone has gotten into the Union Jack love as of late...I decided to show my enthusiasm with a pillow - a non-traditional Union Jack!

Nest Success!!!

So, I couldn't give up after just one attempt...as I was about to clean up all my painting mess I decided to give it one more shot. Now, this one, me likey!

Nest Fail!

I have been attempting to paint a nest - seemed easy enough?? I looked for inspiration on Etsy and Pinterest and found lots of beautiful examples - this was my first attempt...me no likey.

Boy's Vintage Camping - Northwoods Room

So, JD decided that the Vikings inspired room was getting a little old and opted for something a little more woodsy and outdoorsy. So, here is my attempts at fulfilling his wishes...a few of the finer details!!



My dad has collected these patches for years - I put them to use in a shadow box.



Nothing says outdoors like an antler light switch!



I LOVE this lamp!!! I found a vintage minnow bucket on Etsy and bought a small candlestick lamp from Goodwill and a lamp shade from Walmart - threw it all together and created this awesome lamp.



I hung a few vintage bait and tackle tins on the wall next to the shadow box.



Of course we couldn't totally get rid of the Vikings - Adrian Peterson still makes his presence known - just not in such and obvious way! He now "hangs out" in the closet - a little nook - just for Jonathan.

All in all, I love how his room turned out - but most of all - HE LOVES IT!! After our summer trip to South Dakota I was able to add a few more authentic details - I got a real set of antlers, a boys scout thermos and a cool oil painting from an antique store in Souix Falls.

Sheet Music Side Table

I bought this little nightstand from Target many years ago. The price was right, but I knew it wasn't real wood and wouldn't last for very long. It went into my oldest son's room (he was about 7 at the time) and he really put it through the ringer. Despite the - no drink or food - law, the table had raised areas on the top from liquid spills (and the 1/2 eaten hot dogs dehydrating under the bed are always a delight to find! Maybe that is why he won't eat them anymore???)

Anyway, I decided to give the table a new life in our living room and set about covering her in sheet music. (Notice how I call everything a she in my house...maybe I just want it to be so - as I am the ONLY live girl in the house) Several pictures to follow - Enjoy!

The Pink Piggy Chair

I thought I would revisit an older post - one of my first chair makeovers...The pink piggy chair - Todd actually named the chair, I personally think it is too cute to be a "piggy!" Here is how she started out:

Do you speak German??

I would love some help translating the phrases on this beer stein my son inherited from his great grandfather!

Help!

Boo! Picnik is going away!

I don't know about you - but I love the ease of using Picnik for my less than stellar photographs. April 19th is the last day to use it...but on the plus side - you can get all of the premium features for free until that time.

See what I did today -
BEFORE:


AFTER:

Nice tan, NO wrinkles and NO "blemishes" LOVE THAT...I will be picniking a lot until April 19...I have a lot of wrinkles to get rid of!

Q & A a day: 365 questions, 5 years, 1,825 answers

Have you seen this book? It is published by Potter Style (isbn 978-0-307-71977-5). I saw it when I was in the checkout line at Marshall's (damn them and their impulse purchase displays!!) I have been trying to keep at it - I love the concept - quick answers to interesting questions. I love that you can track how your answers have changed over the past 5 years.

The questions are random and have quite a range - What is your favorite accessory? What was peaceful about today? Did you have fun today?

The answers are meant to be short and sweet - almost like tweets on paper!

Today's question - Do you need a break? From What? ...well, do you?

Yummy Peppermint Treats

These treats were defnitely a hit with the kids!

Marshmallows dipped in white chocolate and covered with crushed candy canes. So much fun on a stick!

First Project of 2012

Meet Mr. Snowman!
He is here to wish you all a very happy 2012 - filled with peace and love! I first saw the beginnings of Mr. Snowman when I visited Amy Power's Blog - Inspire Co. and saw the instructions of how to make one. It looked liked something that I could pull off - so I gave it a try.

I found the paper clay at all the major craft retailers - Joann's, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc. I think the hardest part was making a face that wasn't scary!! When I completed my snowman, had him painted and dried - I decided to "age" him a little and put an antiquing glaze all over the finished product. I also didn't want him to be an ornament - but rather a shelf sitter to go with the rest of my snowman collection - so I made him a little base to sit in.

All in all a success...I think he is quite handsome!

Happy 2012!

I just logged in for the first time in 8 months. 8 months, really?!?! I am not sure if that officially makes me the world's worst blogger or not, but I really have been crafting and such - just not taking pictures and blogging about it. Who knows, maybe I will spend a few weeks trying to catch up - even if I am the only one who cares!

Brrr...I think I need a blanket

Baseball season is now back in swing. I have spent the last two weekends at the fields - freezing my tail off! Boy don't you wish that were literally true. I would have some kinda smoking hot body!!! LOL!

Anyway, here are the supplies I started with - they were all stuff that I had on hand. If you saw my post from a couple of days ago - you would know that I have A LOT of stuff on hand!

I feel certain that I bought all of the fabric pieces at Joann's - the fleece I got at Hancock Fabrics - and the jeans were a "gift" from my dad. I cut out 12 1/2" squares of all the fabric pieces and used the fleece to line the blanket/quilt. Here is the finished product:

My Mom Cave - be careful, if you fall in...

My creativity hit a wall...I couldn't figure out why? That is until I looked around my craft room and then, it all became abundantly clear.

No one is capable of being creative in this mess...The pictures that follow may scare you - they sure did me. I was overwhelmed for so long. But, one box at a time, I finally have a clear space to work! Here are the scary "Before" shots:





As I got going - things got a lot worse...











Do you have chills running up and down your spine yet? I seriously felt like they could come and film an episode of Hoarders right here in my craft room. My husband made the mistake of stopping by to see my progress. He ran, screaming from the room. My 13 yr old just said "oh, wow." Have you seen most 13 yr old boy's bedrooms? He could still find the nerve to say that about my room. Ugh.

To save some dignity - here are just a few quick shots of the new and improved closet space. The rest of the room is pretty clean too - but the creative juices caught up with me and I started a new project before I could take pictures.







So, for now - my closet is uber organized - every sort of craft in a corner of its own. We will see how long it will last!

A birthday gift

I recently made a birthday present for on one my besties, inspired by her desire to remake her living room into a "coastal / cottage" vibe room and completely inspired by this candle holder from LL Bean. So, off I went to try my hand at recreating something in this proximity.

I got a vase from the local dollar tree...
and I picked up these beauties from Michaels...


Now that I had my supplies - I just started gluing, and gluing and gluing...I used some pretty powerful glue to keep that glass on the vase - should probably do it in a well ventilated room. Yikes.
I just realized as I am almost through writing this post - I never took a picture of the final product! WHAT!?!?! Good think Miss Anne lives close. I will have to pop in for a visit.

Goodwill Treasures - February 2011 - part 2

Some snaps of more of my latest finds - I decided to try and dig though the silverware bins - each of these pieces was only 25 cents!






I also picked up a little glassware...I didn't pay more than $3 for either of these!